We Bleed The Same Light
by myheartsegg
Summary: A tale of two boys being stupid(ly oblivious), starting high school a little too early, making friends, and discovering crushes. For Hiro and Tadashi, it doesn't all come together until that final moment in which everything becomes clear. Slow burn fluffy unrelated hidashi high school!AU. Uploaded in short snapshots of time.
1. Chapter 1

**We Bleed The Same Light**

* * *

When Hiro Takachiho enters high school, he's a little thing with fluffy hair, a big brain, and a tooth gap all wrapped up in a burrito of self-consciousness.

After all, it's not often that a thirteen-year old super genius decides to enroll in their junior year in the middle of second semester.

* * *

 **ZEDD (ft. Selena Gomez) - "I Want You To Know"**


	2. Chapter 2

When Tadashi Hamada enters high school two weeks after Hiro, he's the hottest guy in Hiro's computer science class. Hands down. And for good measure, feet down too.

The teacher points to the empty seat beside him - _because no one wants to sit beside the smart-aleck-know-it-all_ \- and tells the hottie that beside Hiro is where he's sitting from now on. Tadashi takes the seat, plopping his books down in the space between the computers, right next to Hiro's own stuff, and smiles.

"Hi," he says with a little wave.

Hiro manages a nod of all things. Tadashi's eyes brighten and Hiro thinks he might have a heart attack.


	3. Chapter 3

At the end of Hiro's first month at San Fransokyo Secondary, the genius amends his poor observations. Tadashi wasn't just the hottest guy in his class. He was the hottest guy _in the entire school_.


	4. Chapter 4

Recently, all the talk's been about _him._ One Tadashi- _smokin'-hot-_ Hamada.

Hiro can't find it in his little body to blame them either.

As far as the rumors go, Tadashi's super good looking (which he already knew, yeah, thanks for the heads-up; would have been nice to know before he had met the guy in class) and also apparently a genius - like him. Just... not as genius.

Does that even make sense?

Anyway, while Hiro's thirteen and in grade 11 (he really could have gone ahead and graduated already, but he didn't want to stand out even more than he was now), Tadashi's _fifteen_ and in grade 11; there's a two-year gap between them, and give or take a few years' difference between them and the rest of their peers. Hiro tries to ignore the fluttering in his stomach when he thinks that there's someone that might be able to understand him, if only a little. He half-succeeds.

Tadashi passes by him in the hallway on the way to his next class, and sends him a covert smile followed by a, "See you in fourth, Hiro."

The butterflies come back with a vengeance and Hiro conjures up the vivid image of him burning them down with a flamethrower; he grudgingly notes that it doesn't kill all the butterflies.


	5. Chapter 5

"Can anyone solve this algorithm?" the teacher asks, looking around the room with bored eyes. He gives the classroom a dry smile. "Not all at once now."

Hiro scowls at his completed page. C'mon, this was easy stuff. He's been staring at the same question since, like, forever! Someone just answer the damn man!

When no one raises their hand, Hiro almost sighs in resignation. No one likes to answer any questions in this class. It was always him and that other nerd, Carl, that end up answering the teacher's never-ending inquiries. It just so happens that today, Carl's off at some Waterloo math contest that Hiro had missed the chance for because he had "sassed" the teacher one too many times.

"Anyone? If no one raises their hands, I'm going to start picking."

Hiro's just begun lifting his fingers off the surface of his desk when the teacher, Matsuda-sensei, points to the spot beside him. "You in the white and black T-shirt, can you solve this?"

Hiro turns his head so fast, he's pretty sure he's given himself a whiplash.

It's Tadashi. Of course it is.

The other pushes back from his desk in one fluid movement, his biceps rippling underneath his shirt, and then the butterflies are back - and this time, they've brought friends. Hiro guesses they didn't exactly appreciate that flamethrower from last time.

Well, he's paying the price now, because as Tadashi answers the question on the Smart Board just as easily as Hiro himself would've, there's butterflies beating at his insides and hummingbirds messing with his heart.

The teacher makes a pleased sound and mentions for Tadashi to sit back down. On his way back to his desk however, Tadashi shoots Hiro a 1000-watt grin. It's not the cocky, 'haha-I-beat-you-to-the-answer-who's-the-genius-now' kind of grin, but more a proud, 'I'm-smart,-you're-smart,-let's-be-friends' sort of thing.

Or at least, that's what he _thinks_ is that sort of thing.

Hiro desperately hopes that his smile-dictionary isn't wrong in its translation; as it is, it's been a long time since he's used it.


	6. Chapter 6

The cafeteria is busy as usual today.

Hiro's eyes roam from table to table, looking for an empty spot to occupy. Somewhere in the back of his mind, he's hoping he'll be able to work up the courage to find a seat next to Tadashi. Maybe initiate in conversation, get familiar with the guy, y'know?

A flicker of black and white with a hint of mint converse from the corner of his peripheral vision, and he spots who he's looking for; just, it's all wrong. Tadashi isn't sitting by himself, in one of the far corners of the cafeteria. He's amongst the 'popular' crowd, laughing and joking around. Hiro absently realizes he doesn't know the names of the majority of them, but he _does_ know their faces at least.

A bubbly blonde bounces up to Tadashi then, and Hiro's brain instantly comes up with the name to go with the face. It's Honey Lemon, one of the only people willing to partner up with him during chemistry class and one of the most well-liked people in their grade.

A shot of betrayal bullets through Hiro.

Tadashi was a genius, like him, right? So why...? How come-?

 _How come he's so much better than me?_

Envy washes over Hiro just as fast as the hurt of betrayal, and he feels shame tint his cheeks. He wasn't even close with Tadashi - why did he feel betrayed for? They just sat beside each other in class and occasionally acknowledged one another when they passed in the halls - _that was it_.

Hiro scowls. Whatever, it shouldn't matter to him anyway; nobody ever wanted to hang out with the loser. Why should he expect Hamada to be any different?

He and Tadashi were in two different worlds from the start.

Averting his eyes, Hiro stuffs one hand into his hoodie, the other clutching his brown-paper lunch bag to his side as he wanders further into the mess of students and misshapen tables laden with food. When he glances back, Tadashi's gaze meets his for a brief second before Hiro breaks the connection and pulls on a false mask of disinterest. Picking up the charade of looking for a spot to sit at in the bustling caff, he eventually finds an empty seat in the corner near the door, far away from "Mr. Popular".

What he misses as he does so is the crestfallen face of Tadashi, half-risen from the table and with Hiro's name on his lips.


	7. Chapter 7

The rumors have taken on a different tone today, Hiro absently notes as he listens in with half an ear.

The word is, is that Tadashi was some sort of rich kid from a well-to-do family that ran several small companies around the world. He actually transferred in from New Yosaka because of some sort of freak car accident his parents were in; they said it was a ball of fire that crashed into the vehicle, like a meteor. And the only reason why he came to San Fransokyo was because his last living relatives offered to take him in to rake in his parents' profits. Otherwise it would have resulted in Tadashi getting placed in an orphanage and all the money lost.

Hiro mentally scoffs. He doubts Tadashi's story is that dramatic. Still, he can't help but wonder if those rumors held some grain of truth.

The rumors take another shift, and this time, Hiro finds himself listening in with his full attention.

They're speculating whether or not he has a girlfriend - they think it's probably Honey Lemon if anyone, but another person questions if Tadashi even swings that way.

Hiro feels his breath hitch.

After all, the person reasons, Tadashi never really showed any preference.


	8. Chapter 8

They're from different worlds - he needs to remind himself of that constantly.

And he _does_ , he really does.

But sometimes the way Tadashi looks at him from the corner of his eyes when they're in class makes Hiro feel like it's a mutual interest - like they're on the same plane of existence; on the same earth that's been rotating around the sun for billions of years; on the same page of a book that's been read over a thousand times with loving eyes.

Maybe then, and only then would Hiro be able to speak - let out the words building in his chest: a couple dozen, "Hey"'s, a multitude of, "How's it going?"'s, a few, "So, do you have anything after school?"'s, maybe one or two "Wanna hang out after?"'s, and definitely one giant, "So, uh, which way do you swing?"

Because as Hiro remembers, Tadashi never really _did_ show a preference.

But then an unfamiliar voice calls Tadashi's name and the other's gaze is stolen away from him and they're no longer on the same page, or the same planet, nor on the same plane of existence anymore. They're just Tadashi Hamada and Hiro Takachiho - two separate people that wouldn't ever see eye-to-eye.

They're from different worlds.

Hiro's throat tightens to the point he can't breathe right without wheezing a little and his chest locks back up all the things he hasn't said.

They're from different worlds. He knows that; it's a fact.

He shakes his bangs into their usual place covering his peripherals and for the rest of the class, refuses to acknowledge the gaze that makes him think otherwise.


	9. Chapter 9

The first acquaintance he makes is by coincidence. Go figure.

It's on a mild summer day, and Hiro's fresh out of a tousle with an old group of bullies when he manages to find a little niche in between the school's building and the sports shed near the football field and cross and field track. He's barely leaned his shoulder against the wall and pulled out his crumpled journal - dirtied by shoe-prints and dust - when long, nimble fingers pluck them out of his still-shaking hands.

At this point, Hiro's got no fight left in him, and all he manages to punch out is a tired, "Give it back." He extends his hand to the side and twists so that he's pressed against a solid surface before slumping forward to hide his face. He knows he's waiting in vain for his journal, but-

The spine of his book meets his palm, and Hiro has to take a moment to blink in surprise, his eyebrows rising into his hairline because- "Wait, what? You actually gave it back?"

Stunned, Hiro tentatively peeks through the curtain of his bangs to take in the sight of another lanky teenager (not a gorilla this time) in a monster beanie and baggy clothes. He's got a sleepy smile on his face, but something in his eyes tells Hiro he's anything but.

"Dude, those are sweet designs! You should totally build them!" he says.

Well _that_ wasn't the usual bully catch phrase. Usually it was something a bit like, 'If you want it back then try and take it' or, 'Only if you give me your lunch money for the next week' and now more recently, 'I'll return it if you do my homework for a month.'

With none of these common scenarios playing out, it's no wonder Hiro is a bit on the suspicious side. His eyes narrow. "...What do you want?" the genius says a bit too sharply. Hiro hides his cringe behind a grimace. He couldn't make it sound any nicer? Well, to be fair, at this point his sarcasm and prickly word choices were the only defense mechanisms he had left; Hiro wasn't about to trust this guy right off the bat, not after his unexplained and obviously shady appearance.

The guy who looks like he lives under a bridge remains unperturbed with Hiro's bluntness. "The name's Fred," he says, sticking out a hand.

Hiro flicks his eyes to the waiting appendage and pushes down the urge to swat it away. The last time he had done that, his favour had been returned with a fist to the gut.

Switching his notebook to his non-dominant side, Hiro hesitantly takes the offered limb and shakes it weakly. "Hiro," he responds in kind, immediately withdrawing his hand to afterwards stuff it in his hoodie pocket. Fred's lips quirk up a bit on the side. Hiro notices he has a beard coming on.

"Nice to meet you little dude."

Hiro wrinkles his nose at the nickname, but at least it's nicer than the ones he's heard more recently. He tries again: "Is there something you need from me? Because if you're looking for lunch money, the guys over there have already run off with it." Hiro jerks his thumb over his shoulder in a vague motion that means 'leave me alone' more than it gives directions to his previous tormentors.

Fred waggles his index finger in Hiro's face. "I don't need money, little dude. What I _do_ need though, is to know if you're into _science_!" The tone of his voice turns up here, going excited and bright like the sun. It's warm.

Cautiously, Hiro gives a little nod of his head, and milliseconds later, Fred's mouth is off like a rocket.


	10. Chapter 10

In chemistry class the very next day, Hiro isn't surprised when he's partnered up with Honey Lemon for the fourth (he's been counting) time. Honestly, if it were up to him, he'd just do the labs alone. It wasn't rocket science balancing chemical equations and then following instructions, so he didn't get why people couldn't just- _do_ the stuff.

Unfortunately, the teacher thinks that everyone in his class is possibly an idiot, so partners it is.

Ms. Lewis (which he finds funny 'cause of the Lewis Dot Diagrams) goes down the list of names in her nasally voice, partnering up people with whom she claims 'have similar work ethics'. Off to the side, students make sour faces when their names are called and they aren't paired with their friends.

"Hiro Takachiho, I'm going to pair you with..." The teacher looks up from her attendance and glances around the room, mango face scrunching when all of Hiro's classmates duck from her gaze and hunch over their desks. Right. No one wants the kid genius. Hiro averts his eyes to the clock above the door and tries his best not to scowl.

From his peripherals, he can see a hand raise into the air and wave around enthusiastically. Should have known.

"...Why don't you partner up with Gabriella Baez?"

Well, not like he could do any better or any worse. The only reason why he was always being partnered up with her was because they had 'similar work ethics'. In reality, no one else could keep up with Gabriella's rapid fire chemical mixes. That, plus they usually let her do all the work... Or got overwhelmed when she finished the lab early and decided to make something explode with pink foam. Whichever came first.

The hand is still waving in the air by the time Hiro turns his head to look. Gabriella - nicknamed Honey Lemon - is grinning at him, her perfect and straight white teeth flashing as bright as her chromate-coloured dress.

"... Sure," he says after a moment, shrugging. The teacher smiles warily at him and then at Honey and continues on to the next pair, leaving Hiro at the mercy of his partner. Honey Lemon bounds up to him then, a flurry of blonde and bright white polka dots.

"Hiiirooo!" She singsongs, hands balled up in delighted fists underneath her chin. "I'm so excited we're partners again!"

Hiro isn't quite sure he shares her sentiment, but nods along anyway.

The teacher calls for attention, and the genius takes the opportunity to swivel away from Honey's shining eyes. "Today we're going to be using the Bunsen burners, so remember to take off your gloves before you put the copper into the flame. Do _not_ forget to turn off the gas after you are done! You have until the end of the period to fill out the lab report. You may begin."

A second after the teacher says those accursed words, a vice-grip on his upper arm is dragging him across the classroom to the lab bench with the most space. It's his and Honey Lemon's usual spot for the times when they pair up to do labs, and if Hiro's being honest, he supposes they need it.

He contemplates finishing early this period and possibly fooling around with the chemicals. The last time they had a lab, he and Honey had made elephant toothpaste... Without the teacher's permission.

Detention had been worth it that day.

Maybe they could mix the copper from this lab with nitric acid?

Honey comes back with their goggles and a pair of nitrile gloves for them both. When he suggests the possible 'extra credit' experiment, she beams for a second before frowning. "Oh, but Hiro, mixing those two make poisonous gas."

It's not by will that Hiro sort of deflates. An arm suddenly snakes around his own and shakes him, making him clutch the procedure handouts in a death grip; the paper crumples a bit.

"Ooh! But if we add just a pinch of water to it, the nitrogen dioxide will turn into nitrogen _oxide_!" Sparkling green eyes behind magenta-framed glasses enter his vision. "Hiro, you're a genius!"

He's really not, but Hiro nods along anyway, following through the automatic motions of preparing their work station and completing the lab. They finish with a whooping forty-five minutes before the end of class, and as soon as they're done they call Ms. Lewis over to check their results. Sure enough, it's full marks.

Now comes the fun part.

Honey gets the chemicals (because Hiro's too short to reach the top shelf of the chemical cabinet), and Hiro preps the equipment. They're creaky and old, and Hiro feels like he could probably upgrade them to make them work better, but those thoughts are washed out as soon as his partner comes swooshing back in with a devious smile and glinting, mad scientist eyes.

Needless to say, things go smoothly, and this time they actually get extra credit.

And a week's worth of detention.


	11. Chapter 11

"So..." Hiro starts, fidgeting in his plastic seat. One of the legs is shorter than the rest, and he rocks back and forth uncertainly. "Why Honey Lemon?"

It's the last day of their week-long after school detention spree, and the teacher had just left the room for a toilet break mere seconds ago. Hiro's already finished all of his extra work and 'repentance letters' as the delinquents call it, and he's bored out of his mind.

Gabriella grins at Hiro from her seat diagonal from him. She's done her extra work too. "It's an old nickname," she says in a stage whisper. "Freddie gave it to me; says I'm sweet like the honey lemon tea. The name kinda stuck," she giggles.

Hiro hums at the brief explanation and wonders if this 'Freddie' guy went around giving nicknames to every person he befriended. A loud, delighted squeal cuts off his absent-minded wondering, and Hiro shoots a bewildered look at his usual lab partner.

"We should totally make a nickname for you, Hiro! It would be so cute!"

The genius hides his grimace behind an awkward smile. He wasn't really aiming for cute. He has enough trouble getting along as an eleventh grader it is. If he had any more reasons for people to ridicule him, he might as well start digging himself a hole to crawl into and never come back out of.

Apparently, that doesn't register in Honey's mind, because as soon as detention is over and they're allowed to go home, she's dragging him off in the direction of his little niche at the back of the school in between the sports shed near the football field and cross and field track.

Suddenly, Hiro has a sinking feeling he has an idea of who exactly this 'Freddie' guy is. Sure enough, as they reach Hiro's hiding place, Fred's there - hunched over a comic book and waiting for Hiro to arrive so they could walk part of the way home together.

"I knew I would find you here!" Honey cheers, bouncing up to the other with the muted click-clack of her heels.

Fred looks up at the sound of Honey's voice, sleepy smile back on his face. "Hey Honey," he greets, hand raising lazily to give a loose wave. Hiro trails behind and Fred turns his smile to him. "Hey little dude, I see you've met Honey Lemon. Bestest of the best at chemical reactions and baking." Fred seems to contemplate something before tacking onto the end of his sentence, "-But not at the same time." The comic enthusiast turns a light shade of green. "Chemical reactions and baking at the same time is not the bestest of the best."

Hiro doesn't even want to know. What he does end up asking is, "You two know each other?"

Fred chuckles and rolls his eyes. "Haha, yeah. Honey and I go waaay back. Like, waaaaaayyy," he says, voice going all echo-y and fingers doing that strange wiggly thing they did when Fred was trying to act mysterious.

Honey Lemon giggles at his side. "We're childhood friends. My dad knew his dad. They got together a lot."

Hiro feels a little out of the loop again. "I see..." is all he manages to say.

Honey Lemon turns her excitability towards Fred, and dread pools low in Hiro's stomach. "Freddie! Don't you think it would be great if Hiro had a nickname?"

Fred cups his chin in a hand, the other crossing over his ribs. "Hmm, I see your point. Then how about... Kid Genius!"

Although he can't see it right now, Hiro is pretty sure his face looks horrified.

"That's a no, huh?" Fred mumbles, closing his eyes and frowning as he tries to think of another name. His eyes pop open. "Ooh! What about... Boy Wonder! Whiz kid? The Hiro-nator! Human Calculator!"

Each new nickname is worse than the last and Hiro simply gives Fred a deadpan look and a very serious, "No way in _Hell_ am I taking any of those nicknames."

Their group of three continues like that the rest of the way home, with Fred spouting ridiculous titles and Honey occasionally giving a few suggestions that don't sound too bad, but are ultimately too cutesy for his liking.

By the time Hiro splits off from them, he realizes he still doesn't have a nickname, but what he _does_ have, are two new friends.


	12. Chapter 12

The next time him and Honey Lemon are paired up in chemistry class, Hiro takes the initiative to peek over at his friend's notes to double check his answers. He doesn't really need to, considering he's a super genius with an IQ level over 195, but then again it didn't hurt to confirm every so often he was still a smart cookie.

Hiro stares for a moment at the neat scrawl of complex chemical equations in bubbly writing, trying to decipher if those questions were assigned for last night's homework or not. It clicks after another half a minute of staring that this stuff isn't even in their school's current curriculum, and he's been staring at a new breakthrough for chemical engineering for the past quarter of an hour.

He feels like he should be in awe at such a discovery, but the little doodles of initials in hearts stamped all over the page kinda detracts from the amazement Hiro feels at learning one of his friends is also a genius.

A glance back at his own binder finds it bare and sort of empty without the usual teenage-boy-doodles scribbled all over the page. Aside from his semi-messy print, there's nothing filling the margins of his worksheets. A little part of Hiro is slightly glad that his papers are not covered in crude drawings of dicks - even if that's one more thing in a long list of things that set him apart from his peers.

"Hiro, did you hand in your paper already?" Honey Lemon asks as she flounces up to him in her fluorescent miniskirt. It ripples in different shades of red and purple, and for a moment Hiro is hypnotized by the flashing hues. He breaks out of his funk when she leans over to stare worriedly at him through his bangs. "Hiro?"

"Oh, uh- I was just re-checking my answers," Hiro mumbles, giving her a lopsided smile. He's still not used to such bright colours blasting him in the face, nor is he really ready to be staring people in the eyes full-time yet; especially Honey with her sparkling emerald orbs of pure optimism. "I'll go hand it in now."

When Hiro returns to his desk, Honey Lemon is drawing another heart with the initials **_HL + GT_** to go with the others already on her page. Hiro can't help the curiosity from rising in his throat, and the words leave his mouth before he can reel them back in. "Hey, um. Why do you- y'know, draw those?" he asks, indicating the offensive hearts drawn in glittery pink gel pen with a nod of his head.

Honey Lemon giggles behind her hand and scribbles down another heart. This time with Hiro's full name in it. "I'm not really sure _why_ to be exact, but I guess you could say it works like a charm of sorts? It's like making a wish for you and your crush to get together."

Hiro tilts his head at the reasoning, mind picking at the sentimentality of the gesture. It was too mushy for his tastes; I mean, it was practically telling the entire school population who you liked! And if not, it gave rise to pretty accurate suspicions and scarily precise guesses. Hiro would _hate_ to have his anonymity stripped away like that. He'd probably feel so... _vulnerable_.

Instead of mentioning the insecurity the girly doodles make him feel, Hiro nods his head at one of Honey's numerous hearts and asks - very bluntly, to his later chagrin, "You have a crush?"

Honey's cheeks flush a dusty rosette. "Well, I'm sure every girl has one or another..." Honey Lemon trails off into a mumble before her eyes light up and she beckons him closer with a wave of her hand. When Hiro leans over, her tone turns conspiratorial in his ear. "Maybe you should try you and Tadashi? It might work!"

The answer makes Hiro recoil in horror, his face exploding with heat. "How did you know?" he asks in a horrified whisper. He'd never breathed a word about Tadashi to her! In fact, he was pretty sure Honey Lemon had only seen him and Tadashi interacting once. So how-?

Gabriella laughs out loud and pats Hiro consolingly on the arm. "Sorry Hiro, but it's kind of obvious."

"As in, I-can-tell-you-like-him-after-seeing-you-looking-at-him-once-or-twice kind of obvious?" he cringes apprehensively.

Honey Lemon shakes her head negative. "I'm pretty sure that's just me." She pauses for a second and tilts her head in reconsideration. "Well, maybe not just me..."

An unsettling feeling of horror gurgles in Hiro's gut. "Is there anyone else who knows about this?" he asks urgently, upper teeth biting and peeling at the skin on his bottom lip.

"Other than Freddie, no, I don't think so," she reassures.

The genius nods his head solemnly. "Good. For a second there I was sure by the end of the day I'd be a mass murderer." He'd have a talk with Fred about confidentiality later.

Honey Lemon only laughs.


	13. Chapter 13

The silence in his home that night can't be any more of a blessing, Hiro thinks, sitting at his desk with a blank piece of paper glaring at him from atop the wooden surface. He's grateful to the stars and beyond that his parents are usually out of the house on business trips, because now, as he scowls balefully at the blank piece of paper sitting mock-innocently smack dab in the middle of his work desk, he can't crush the intense desire to understand why making a heart and scribbling two initials in it was so... _drawing._

Hiro ignores the stupid, non-intended pun made in the back of his head and picks up the pencil that's been lying beside the sheet of paper for more than half an hour. _It's for science,_ he tells himself silently. _That's all this is._

With a steady hand coming only from years of drawing schematics and doodles for bots, Hiro traces the outline of a horrendously lopsided heart. He pauses for a second before scratching out the uneven shape. It takes him another three tries before he's satisfied with the damn thing, and even then, he hasn't put anything inside of the heart to make it complete. Hiro wipes his forehead with the back of his free hand. This was harder than he thought. It was a wonder girls made it look so easy.

The first thing he writes in the heart is his own name - like the one he'd seen Honey Lemon do in their chemistry class that morning. The chicken scratch writing along with the HB-coloured heart makes it look shoddy, and Hiro feels disdain crawl into a little hole in his chest. What the heck was he doing?

Hiro walks away from the hearts and initials for all of three seconds before he plops back in his wheelie chair and pulls out what he'd never thought would see the light of day again: his bedazzled, sparkly, scented, _rainbow_ gel pens. To be fair, his mother had gotten them for him when he was, like, three or something, and still liked rainbows and sparkles. After he'd figured out they weren't cool for a guy to have, he had locked them up and never looked at them again.

Sporting a grimace, the genius unlocks the drawer with a sour expression. When the lock clicks in place, Hiro has to hide a near full-body flinch. There's no going back; not after he's made it this far. Holding his breath, Hiro reaches his hand in to draw out the fabulous abominations he had once been so intimately acquainted with.

They sparkle in all conceivable colours, and the flowery scents hit Hiro's nose in a wave of artificial fruit. In an instant, Hiro regrets. He regrets, but like always, there's no way he was going to do anything half-assed. If he was going to do this for science, then he would use every last resource he had at his disposal - no holds barred.

With shaking hands, Hiro takes the red strawberry-scented pen and traces a heart onto his page before leaning back to survey the shape. It's acceptable, by his standards, but nowhere near perfect. But it'll have to do.

Letting out a steadying breath, Hiro picks out purple next and with careful precision, pens in Tadashi's initials next to his with a little plus sign between them. There; he did it. Wasn't so hard. Hiro feels a hysterical little giggle rise up in his chest, but immediately presses his lips together into a taut line. That was _not_ a sound that Hiro Takachiho, thirteen-year old genius, was about to let out.

He tears the paper to shreds before he can let out any other kind of sound, face burning and heart thudding to an invisible staccato rhythm.

He swears on that night to never again touch the dark magic of girls.


	14. Chapter 14

The next day at school, Hiro can't focus on his chemistry lab.

He ends up mixing the wrong chemicals eighteen different times by the time half the period is up, and by the bell, there are two new scorch marks to add to the ceiling and one giant purple stain on the wall behind the teacher's desk.

Honey Lemon cackles all throughout their walk down the hallway and into her next class.

He's pretty sure she knows.


	15. Chapter 15

He doesn't mean to, but it happens anyway. Hiro's always been a fidgety kid, and whenever he gets bored in class – which happens to be more often than not – he doodles about whatever is on his mind. Really, Hiro has no excuse. He knows his own habits, and he should have caught himself in the middle of class when his hand had started to absent-mindedly trace a familiar shape and even more familiar letters.

When the final bells rings to signal the end of school, Hiro looks back down at his stuff in preparation to pack it away, only to make a semi-horrified noise that he immediately corrects with a throat-clearing grunt.

Hiro closes his binder with a snap before anyone catches a glimpse of what he's doodled into the margins of his notes.

It's a small, lopsided heart. But that's not the (entire) problem.

The problem is the two initials inside that heart.


	16. Chapter 16

It becomes a habit. On accident, of course - because there was no way Hiro Takachiho would ever _willingly_ make a habit out of writing the initial of his first name with the initial of his crush's first name inside a heart in red pen in the margins of his notes.

No. Freaking. Way.


	17. Chapter 17

The next encounter with Hiro's bullies runs a bit smoother, he'll admit.

It's all thanks to Fred, who shows up in full mascot regalia of all things, bellowing a Tarzan battle cry and spinning an old, rusted sign in lieu of a weapon. The gang of three, lead by Ritchie, scatter and duck as scrap metal goes flying over their heads like some sort of boomerang... That... Doesn't come back.

It's a marvel to watch, really, and when he mentions it to Fred later on, his friend's face lights up like the fourth of July. "Now you're speaking my lingo, little man!" He cheers, flipping back the head of his costume and going for a fist bump.

Hiro makes it half way before he hisses in pain. A glance down and he knows - he's twisted an ankle. Fred grimaces at the smattering of cuts and bruises on his legs and sweeps Hiro off his feet with no small litany of threats that escape from under the younger's breath.

"Relax little dude," he soothes, "I know a girl that knows a man that knows a dude."

Hiro's skeptical about that, but he's learned to just leave things in Fred's hands in situations like these. He settles further into the leathery mascot arms wrapped around him and huffs. This was going to be a long journey.

X-x-BH6-x-X

Apparently Hiro's wrong about that, because really all they do is make a short trip to the neighbouring high school two blocks over.

The entire time there, Fred's strolling through back alleyways and making short cuts like nobody's business. They get there in four minutes flat when it usually would have taken fifteen.

They end up on the side of San Fransokyo Catholic Secondary School's building, and after another hop into a little alleyway, they find themselves in the school's private back yard. Fred pulls out his cellphone after he's put Hiro on the softest patch of grass he can find, and Hiro quiets his ragged breathing in an attempt to hear the person on the other end of the line.

It's high and kind of feminine sounding, so Hiro thinks it's safe to assume it's a girl. But as soon as he comes to that conclusion, the voice drops two octaves lower and now it's a man? Hiro's starting to believe Fred's story of him knowing a girl knowing a man knowing a dude, and hearing the voice change again to somewhere in between the two extremes seals the deal.

The voice and Fred exchange a few words and a couple of inside jokes Hiro only hears half of and understands none of, before a click and the monotone beep of a dropped call replaces the human voice on the other line.

Not two minutes later, someone appears, clutching a red bag with a white cross on it to their broad chest. It's a big guy, African-American, in the private school's grey-black-navy uniform, scuttling across the yard like a skittish animal.

When he reaches them, the first thing he stage whispers is, "Fred! You _know_ that coming onto school grounds without the proper forms and visitor passes are forbidden! And what did you need my first aid kit for!?"

Fred easily waves away the guy's apparent worry. "Hey Wasabi, good to see you too. And the HP boost isn't for me, it's for this guy."

The blond shuffles to the side to reveal him to the Afro-American, and Hiro thinks he's never felt more exposed in his life; he soon finds out he doesn't have to, because as soon as the guy - Wasabi, he's pretty sure he'd heard Fred say - gets a good look at Hiro's legs, he's got his first aid kit open and is pulling on the blue nitrile gloves and surgeon's mask like he's about to perform a discectomy.

Suffice to say, it unnerves Hiro.

Wasabi's a good doctor by the end of it though, and while Hiro will still have to make that hospital visit for his sprained ankle, this guy's patchwork is amazing. He's clean, efficient and precise. _Like a laser_ , Hiro thinks to himself.

That's the first time Hiro meets Wasasbi.

The second time is on friendlier terms, and the two of them bond over talk of applied physics in Klingon. It's the first time Hiro has ever managed to hold a conversation with anyone this long, aside from Honey Lemon and maybe Fred. (Which doesn't count in Hiro's books, because although Fred's great company, it's not often that he speaks 'real science' to him).


	18. Chapter 18

_Thwoomp, splat._

Spit balls are getting stuck to the back of his head. They're gross and they're sticky, and considering they're covered in other peoples' saliva, they're unsanitary too.

 _Thwoomp, splat._

Hiro grimaces and entertains the idea of using the school showers to wash out the chewed paper wads from his hair, but his brain brings up the issue of potentially getting cornered in one of the stalls, caught naked and vulnerable. He shudders at the thought.

"Takachiho, pay attention!" Mr. Smith yells from his place at the holo-board. Hiro does his utmost best at a half-assed attempt to look like he's doing work. Truth be told, he'd already completed the entire curriculum a month ago. But the teacher didn't need to know that. Nor did the class.

"Yeah, dork-head, pay attention. I thought you were the genius in this class," a bully from behind Hiro jeers, spitting out the word 'genius' like a personal affront to his being. It probably was. Another spit ball follows the (mysteriously-not-heard-by-the-teacher) threat, and Hiro scowls furiously at his desk.

If they wanted attention, he'd give them attention. Raising his hand in a mockery of participation, Hiro pipes up before the teacher can call on him to speak. "Mr. Smith, the answer for question fourteen is wrong. It's spelled c-i-r-c-u-m-v-e-n-t. That first letter is supposed to be a C, not an S."

The teacher's face turns an unattractive shade of purple, and Hiro is already packing his things even before Mr. Smith is sending him out into the hallway to wait out the rest of English class.

It was always like this - everyone was always out to get him.

Heaving a sigh, Hiro plops to the ground near the classroom door and tries his best not to smile outwardly. Despite his best efforts, a small chuckle escapes his lips and his mouth stretches out at the ends into a half smile, half smirk. Oh man, the look on that teacher's face! Totally worth the detention he's sure is coming up. And as a bonus? He finally gets some peace and quiet for all of first period; no bullies, no I-am-holier-than-thou teacher, and no redundant lessons and homework.

Nearly whooping in joy, Hiro pulls out his journal from within his binders and flips open to his most recent schematic before pulling an almost completed bot out of his hoodie's pocket. It was a wonder he hadn't lost the thing to any bullies yet.

Turning the small humanoid robot in his hands to examine it, Hiro feels a rush of pride. His latest project, Megabot, was supposed to run on looped electrical currents that caused a magnetic flux which in turn ran the magnetic bearing servos he intended it to use. The outside casing was going to be made out of black titanium alloy, and the insides would have to be fine wired to fit in the tiny actuators that would allow the bot to move at high speeds while remaining flexible and intact. It was the complete fighter bot package.

The only problem was, was that there was a contradiction with the thing's magnetic bearing and its weight. No matter how many calculations Hiro ran inside his head, no matter how many times he had revised the programming, the wiring, the weight - none of it matched up. Megabot was nearly perfect in theory, but practically? It was nigh impossible to test run it without some sort of problem cropping up.

"There must be something I'm missing here..." Hiro grits out between writing down calculations and fiddling with the bot in his hands. "But what?"

"Having some trouble?" Hiro hears from somewhere above his head. He's halfway to insulting the person and telling them to buzz off and mind their own business, when he recognizes just who exactly is standing in front of him.

Damn. His heart was so not ready for this.

"U-uh...?" He stutters out. Great start, now all he has to say is- "I'm the bot not work..?"

 _...Smooth_. Not the dumbest thing he's ever said to someone, but that came in at a close second.

To his credit, Tadashi doesn't even look fazed - just slightly amused. The jerk. "I'll take that as a yes then. Want any help?" he asks, all galaxy eyes and solar eclipse smile.

"No-" Hiro starts - not because he didn't want or need the help, but because he was a super genius and this was _his_ bot. Hiro bites his tongue and takes a moment to consider. Technically, Tadashi was also a genius. Shouldn't that count for something? This was no time for his inflated pride to get in the way. If anything, this could be one of the only times he would interact so closely with his crush. And if it meant that he could get Megabot to work, then who was he to say no?

"I- I mean, yeah! Yeah, I could, uh. Use help. Your help, that is. If you're up to it." He adds in the challenge at the end because his stupid pride just won't take asking for help lying down. Hiro mentally beats himself up. What the heck was he saying? Did he really just sass his crush? And question his intelligence to boot?

"I'm usually up for the challenge," Tadashi says, smile intact. "May I?" he asks, reaching a hand out for Megabot after plopping down beside Hiro and sidling up to rest his back against the wall. Their knees brush and Hiro tries to push down the desire to brush together other parts of their bodies. Like their hands. Or their lips.

Hiro clears his throat to shake away the unwanted thoughts. "I have the schematics, if, uh, you want them," he says, trying to avoid eye contact as he hands over his journal. He's pretty sure his face could rival Ms. Lewis' brightest shade of hot pink lipstick right about now.

"Thanks," Tadashi smiles distractedly, running his hands over Megabot – _Hiro's_ Megatbot – and checking over every little detail as if he was trying to figure out the secrets of the universe. "Wow," he breathes, "you've done some serious work on this, haven't you?"

Despite himself, Hiro feels his chest swell. "Yeah," he says, pulling his legs up so that he can rest his chin on them. "Wanna see what's inside?"

Tadashi's eyes lift to him and Hiro has to swallow down a noise that would've sounded something like a dying mouse. That was _not fair_. Hiro should be the one looking at Tadashi like he'd just offered him the world.

"Can I?" Tadashi asks, voice rising at the end in what Hiro can only interpret as anticipation.

"Sure," Hiro says, attempting to smile before reaching over to where Megabot is lying limp in his crush's hands. With a few well-placed squeezes, Megabot's outer casing pops open. "Obviously, when it's done, the casing won't pop open so easily…" Hiro laughs nervously.

Tadashi doesn't seem to hear the waver in Hiro's voice; he's too busy taking in all of the wiring and hidden features inside Megabot's tiny black body, jaw half-slack with amazement.

Hiro ends up explaining all of the things he'd been trying to do to Megabot over the past two months, including all the problems that had cropped up with the thing's practical use.

"Hmm…" Tadashi hums, thumbing his chin as he thinks. Hiro can't help but notice how close that thumb is to his lower lip. "Have you tried looking for a different angle? Shake things up a bit?"

Hiro wrinkles his nose. "What would shaking Megabot do?"

Tadashi barks out a startled laugh, fingers twitching around Megabot's open frame, but being careful not to squeeze. Hiro feels his face burn a mortified red. "Never mind, I said something stupid," he hurriedly punches out from around the embarrassment he feels crushing his lungs.

(Somewhere in the back of his head, Hiro is glad that he said something so mindless. It meant that he was able to hear Tadashi laugh up close and personal.)

"Sorry, sorry," Tadashi chuckles, free hand waving in front of him as if to ward off any offense that Hiro might have. "I didn't mean to laugh, but… Well, maybe that's not a bad idea."

An eyebrow lifts into Hiro's hairline. "What? Why?"

Tadashi gives him a crinkled smile. His eyes are shining like gems and Hiro feels like he shouldn't look at them directly – they're too precious. "If you were to shake Megabot while it's open like this, what would fall out?"

Hiro gives the other boy a sceptical look before flicking his eyes down to his near-completed bot with a contemplative glance. "If I had to choose," Hiro mumbles, furrowing his brows, "I'd say it would be the hidden saws, the laser eyes, the pin missiles, the-"

Suddenly, Hiro _gets it_. He understands what Tadashi is trying to get at.

Apparently, Tadashi can see that he's got it too, because he tips Megabot over very carefully, and gives it a _very_ gentle shake. Sure enough, Hiro is right, and the laser boxes hidden behind Megabot's reversible face slip loose along with a bunch of other hidden features, hanging by the few wires that still connect it to the fighter bot.

"I think this should solve your weight and magnetic bearing problem." Tadashi chuckles light heartedly, and slowly rights Megabot on its side. Hiro can see the problem more clearly now. He'd been trying to add too many features into Megabot's simplistic design. Sure, it was made to carry a heavy weight within a strong, light exterior, but all that metal inside the bot's system was messing with the magnetic field, despite all Hiro's insulating.

"I think," Tadashi starts, licking his lips. Hiro catches the movement with his eyes and quickly looks away, the tips of his ears burning. "Simple is best."

Hiro nods meekly, reaching a hand out to take Megabot back from Tadashi's hands. "If I can focus on strengthening Megabot's magnets and its speed, I wouldn't need the extra features."

"Exactly!" Tadashi beams at him. Hiro feels something inside him tremble. "You know, Megabot actually reminds me a lot of a ninja, now that I think about it," he comments softly.

Hiro feels a tentative grin pull at his mouth. This was the first time anyone had gotten the reference – though not like he showed off his bot much. "Yeah, I actually kinda based it after one. Thought it was cool."

"Nice to know I'm not the only one," Hiro's crush chuckles, reaching over to help him disassemble the extra parts from within Megabot. Their fingers brush, and Hiro has to resist the urge to pull his hands back, stand up, leave Tadashi on the floor as he seeks out an isolated corner of the school, and scream out his feelings for his raging man-crush.

This was totally not okay.


	19. Chapter 19

They don't talk too much after that. It's sort of a mutual thing.

They still sit next to each other in fourth period computer science class, still see each other on the way to their lockers after lunch – but they don't talk.

Hiro's okay with that though. Because in return, there's something else that they share. Or rather, something that Tadashi gives out freely and Hiro just basks in its magnificence.

He smiles at Hiro.

Every. Damn. Time. They pass by each other.

(In fact, the first few times Hiro has to look around himself to make sure Tadashi is looking at him, not at someone else behind him.)


	20. Chapter 20

Sometimes Hiro thinks it's strange that Tadashi has an obstinate need to smile at him every time they pass each other in the hallways.

But then Tadashi does the thing again and Hiro just doesn't think at all.


	21. Chapter 21

Hiro notices that Fred smiles a lot; or rather, that Fred smiles at _him_ a lot. It weirds Hiro out at times, but he'd always just chalked it up to _himself_ being the weird one. People smiled at their friends usually, right? What else would they do, frown at each other all day?

(It's funny when he thinks about it, because whenever Tadashi smiles at him, he doesn't get weirded out. It just feels like there are ants crawling all over his skin. In the pleasant way. Hiro's not sure how having insects all over you can be in any way pleasing, but he decidedly ignores the fact whenever it comes up.)

The question somehow ends up slipping out unintentionally one day at lunch. "Why are you always smiling all the time?"

And thank the Lord for Fred, because he understands what Hiro's really trying to ask: _"Why do you always smile at me?"_

Fred says it's 'cause he likes people. And Hiro is a person. Therefore, Fred automatically likes him.

Hiro's not sure if he can believe that.

Apparently, his thoughts show on his face, because Fred shoots him a smirk and a knowing look all stirred together on his sleepy face. "If you don't believe me, then ask Tadashi."

Hiro tries to ignore his stupid, traitorous, palpitating heart. "Why?"

Fred snorts, and gives Hiro an honest-to-god mysterious smile. "Because I'm sure he likes you too."

The genius tries his best not to scowl doubtfully. "Alright then, maybe I will," he says with way more confidence than he feels.


	22. Chapter 22

_There has to be a reason_ , he thinks to himself, already scanning the bustling halls for Tadashi's distinct cowlick and smiling, amber eyes. _There has to be a reason why he always smiles at me._

It might be wishful thinking, or maybe Fred was on to something, but either way, Hiro is going to find out the answer to this by the end of the day or so help him he was going to quit eating gummy bears.

"Hey, Hiro!" someone greets from across the hall. A flash of sunshine threatens to blind him; it's Tadashi, hot as a supernova (as always), and hand raised in a wave. He's smiling again.

Suddenly Hiro feels like maybe he's the Earth - being pulled in by Tadashi's gravity and just orbiting around him. He shakes the idea off before his feet metaphorically leave the ground and his mind drifts into outer space.

"Hey," he greets as Tadashi passes him, twisting his hands behind his back and gripping the hem of his shirt. After a second of indecision, he jogs up to Tadashi, and thankfully the guy slows his pace to compensate for Hiro's shorter legs.

"What's up?" Tadashi says, right eyebrow quirking a little. It's the first time since Megabot that they've exchanged any words beyond their usual greeting.

"I, uh- wanted to ask you something?" Hiro starts.

Tadashi's smile tones down a few watts, but still remains as bright as an LED flashlight pointed at Hiro's face. "Yeah?" he asks, tilting his head to the side.

Hiro stops altogether, and Tadashi stops with him. Hiro clears his throat to get the air flowing into his lungs. "Why d-" he chokes on the air as it comes out. Tadashi pats him on the back as Hiro subtly freaks out in his head.

He's seriously reconsidering this now. What kind of person just asks, _'Why do you bother smiling at me all the time?'_

He was going to sound like a creep for sure.

Tadashi's patient silence and steadying hand is both stifling and reassuring at the same time. When Hiro straightens, he notices that the smile hasn't left Tadashi's face, though it tones down another few watts. Hiro can see his expression properly now. It's kinda stuck between 'now I'm curious' and 'I have some concerns'. A nod of his head prompts Hiro to continue.

"Why you do, ah-" Hiro gestures helplessly and looks everywhere but Tadashi. "Whydoyousmilesomuch?" he blurts, nose scrunching at the way he practically word vomits all over the other. He leaves out the "-at me" from the end of the question - it sounds way too personal. And slightly creepy.

Tadashi hums a bit and looks Hiro straight in the eyes. Hiro can't look away. "Maybe 'cause I'm hoping people will smile back," he muses, breaking the stare to glance at the clock attached to the ceiling. "I should get going, bell's gonna ring in five."

The lost watts are back, but Hiro can't feel the returning warmth from them. All he can feel is the loss of heat from the hand that had been resting between his shoulder blades. Hiro nods mechanically and turns on his heel to face the hallway he needs to go down to get to his next class.

Something makes him pause. He turns around and sees Tadashi already at the end of the hallway.

"S-See you in fourth?" he calls out tentatively, not even sure Tadashi can hear his small voice from down the hall.

Surprisingly, he does. Tadashi spins so that he's walking backwards and grins a great big solar flare at Hiro. "See you in fourth!" he echoes back.

Warmth returns to Hiro's body, but for some reason, he can't get it to dissipate from his cheeks.


	23. Chapter 23

It's in fifth period the same day that Hiro realizes that in all the times Tadashi's smiled at him in the hallway, he's never smiled back.


	24. Chapter 24

This time he's gonna do it.

For _weeks_ it's been bothering him, so today he's finally gonna do it - he's gonna smile when Tadashi walks by.

As if summoned by mere thought, Tadashi strolls within Hiro's parameters. It starts off as it always does: Tadashi raises his hand and gives a little wave; then it's right into the covert smile and the little "Hey, Hiro," that drops off his lips.

His voice is distracting, and for a moment, Hiro almost forgets his mission. Luckily, he remembers it just in the nick of time. Before Tadashi turns his back on him, Hiro pulls the corners of his lips up just like he'd practiced with Fred. "Hey," he greets back. He returns the little wave, and sincerely hopes he doesn't look stupid.

It doesn't work though, because Tadashi's doing a double take, face slackening around the jaw and eyes bugging out of his skull.

Hiro feels his cheeks heat and doesn't doubt they're flushing. Oh dear god why did he ever think this was a good idea-?

He doesn't get to finish his thoughts, because right before the genius has a chance to run off and wallow in embarrassment, Tadashi runs into someone's open locker door with a loud _smack_.


	25. Chapter 25

Tadashi comes to school the next day with dark purple marks smattered across his cheek and a failed test in hand. He doesn't seem disappointed about it though, and immediately flashes Hiro his brightest smile on their way past each other in the halls.

Hiro turns away from the sight with a quiet huff; he feels guilty about the bruise.


End file.
